Should I buy a sixth station at 5.1 stations before rounding?

Not before checking whether a small gain lets five hold demand. Six stations would each be about 85% loaded, while five need only about 2% more uptime or 2% less work content.

Which uptime figure should I enter?

Enter run time ÷ available time from several weeks of downtime logs, on the same available time you entered. Targets and vendor figures often run higher, which undersizes the line.

Do parallel stations and a balanced line use the same formula?

Yes, for the minimum count. Parallel stations each run the whole work content while a balanced line splits it, and both need work content ÷ takt stations, rounded up. A balanced line often needs more.

Why does yield change the station count?

Each unit that fails first pass used a station cycle without becoming good output. At 98% yield you start about 2% more units than demand, and those cycles need station time too.

Conveyors calculator

Required Stations Calculator

Find how many stations your demand needs after downtime and scrap, and whether the layout you planned covers it. You need demand, available minutes, timed work content, and logged uptime and yield.

What this calculator does

Stations a shift's demand needs after measured uptime and yield, and whether your planned layout covers it.

Formula used

Takt time = available time × 60 ÷ customer demand
Stations before rounding = work content ÷ (takt time × uptime × good yield); required stations rounds it up
Starts needed = customer demand ÷ good yield
Good output from planned stations = planned stations × available time × 60 × uptime × good yield ÷ work content; surplus = good output − demand
Uptime needed with planned stations = uptime × stations before rounding ÷ planned stations

Inputs explained

Customer Demand per Shift: Good units due each shift, from orders or the schedule.
Available Time per Shift: Shift minutes minus breaks and planned stops.
Work Content per Unit: Station seconds one unit needs, from a time study.
Station Uptime: Run time ÷ available time, from your downtime logs.
Good Yield: First-pass good units ÷ units started, from shift counts.
Planned Stations: Stations in the layout you are checking.

How to use the result

Best suited to sizing parallel test or pack stations, checking a line layout before buying equipment, pricing an uptime project against another station.
Precedence and indivisible tasks can push a balanced line above this minimum; balance it task by task. For stations in series without buffers, a stop anywhere stops the line; enter the line's logged uptime.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The U.S. has 21,668 machinery manufacturing establishments employing about 1,086,146 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

Should I buy a sixth station at 5.1 stations before rounding? Not before checking whether a small gain lets five hold demand. Six stations would each be about 85% loaded, while five need only about 2% more uptime or 2% less work content.
Which uptime figure should I enter? Enter run time ÷ available time from several weeks of downtime logs, on the same available time you entered. Targets and vendor figures often run higher, which undersizes the line.
Do parallel stations and a balanced line use the same formula? Yes, for the minimum count. Parallel stations each run the whole work content while a balanced line splits it, and both need work content ÷ takt stations, rounded up. A balanced line often needs more.
Why does yield change the station count? Each unit that fails first pass used a station cycle without becoming good output. At 98% yield you start about 2% more units than demand, and those cycles need station time too.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.